Marlon Moraesis hoping to prove the comeback is bigger than the setback…
The 32-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, a former UFC bantamweight title challenger, will take on Rob Fontat a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on December 19.
The UFC hasn’t officially announced the 135-pound bout, but ESPN sources confirmed have confirmed that both sides have agreed to it. MMAJunkie first reported the matchup and date.
It’s a quick turnaround for Moraes (23-7-1), who just suffered a second-round knockout loss to Cory Sandhagenin the main event of a UFC event October 10 on “Fight Island.”
Moraes fought for the UFC title in June 2019, but came up short in a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo. He is 2-1 in his past three bouts, with the win coming against Jose Aldovia split decision.
Font (14-4), of Boston, will be looking for the biggest win of his career. He has been a mainstay in the UFC’s rankings for a while, but has come up short in key matchups against John Lineker, Pedro Munhozand Raphael Assuncao. He is 7-3 overall in the UFC.
The UFC hasn’t yet announced a main event for the UFC Fight Night, which will mark the final UFC event of 2020.
The 33-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and UFC fighter is set to fight Petr Yan for the bantamweight title at UFC 251 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Aldo (28 – 6 – 0), whose full name is José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior, was the fourth and final WEC featherweight champion, becoming the first UFC featherweight champion after the UFC/WEC merger.
He’s a former three-time UFC featherweight champion overall, having been the undisputed champion twice and the interim champion once. As of June 30, 2020, he is #6 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
Yan (14 – 1 – 0) ranks No. 3 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. He formerly fought in Absolute Championship Berkutwhere he became the bantamweight champion and defended his belt before signing an offer with Ultimate Fighting Championships.
UFC 251 will take place on Saturday, July 11 at 9:00 pm at UFC Fight Island.
The 33-year-old mixed martial artist, a two-weight UFC champion and former Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, defended his 135-pound title for the first time on Saturday night, defeating Dominick Cruz (22-3) via TKO at 4 minutes, 58 seconds of the second round at UFC 249at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Cejudo (16-2) shocked the mixed martial arts world moments later when he announced he doesn’t intend to fight again.
“I’m happy with my career,” Cejudo said. “I’ve done enough in the sport. I want to walk away and enjoy myself. I’m 33 years old. I have a girl now, watching me from back home. Since I was 11, I’ve sacrificed my life to get to where I was tonight. I’m retiring tonight. Uncle Dana [UFC president Dana White], thank you. Everybody here, thank you so much.”
White appeared on SportsCenter later Saturday and said he wasn’t surprised by Cejudo’s announcement.
“It really didn’t shock me,” he said. “Cejudo has been talking about retirement to us for months. I’m of the belief that if you’re talking about retirement in the fight business, you should probably retire.”
Before leaving the cage, Cejudo declared himself the best combat-sports athlete of all time. His only two losses in MMA came against Demetrious Johnson, the longest-reigning flyweight champion in UFC history, and Joseph Benavidez. Cejudo avenged his loss to Johnson two years after the first meeting.
If this does prove to be Cejudo’s final appearance, it was an impressive one.
Cruz hadn’t fought in 1,226 days because of injury, but he was still widely recognized coming in as the greatest bantamweight of all time.
Cejudo’s longtime head coach, Eric Albarracin, told ESPN that he believed Cejudo was still “in his prime.”
“I only think he’s getting better. It’s a somber moment, when someone retires in his prime,” Albarracin said. “I understand it, though. We’ve been on a hell of a run. I’ve been with him since 2004. He’s gotten it done. Every goal we’ve ever set, he’s accomplished. He’s beaten every legend they set in front of him.”
Albarracin said “there was something a little bit off this week” with Cejudo.
“I was trying to figure it out, but I couldn’t put my finger on it,” Albarracin said. “I was ready to have him call out Jose Aldo, Alex Volkanovski and Conor McGregor after this fight, and he told me no. I think if Dana White were to add another zero to his paycheck, he’d have a hard time not coming back, but maybe he just does want to move on.”
Cejudo appeared to echo Albarracin’s point, saying at his postfight news conference, “I really do want to walk away, but money talks.”
The second-round finish came after Cejudo badly hurt Cruz with a right knee to the temple. Cejudo immediately pounced on him and dropped a hard right hand and a series of unanswered left hands until referee Keith Peterson stopped the bout. It is the first knockout loss of Cruz’s 15-year professional career.
“I’m ruthless,” Cejudo said. “I may be cringe-y, corny — but boy, can I fight.”
Coming into this weekend, ESPN ranked Cejudo the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
The 26-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist defeated Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 156 over the weekend to retain his featherweight champion title.
Aldo used his precise striking and effective leg kicks to counter the constant pressure from the former lightweight champion, winning a unanimous decision for his 15th consecutive victory.
“I’m very happy and I don’t plan to lose my belt any time soon,” said Aldo through a translator after beinh hailed the winner.
Aldo looked solid in the first three rounds, controlling the fight and landing the more significant strikes. Edgar pressed forward in the final two periods, trying to spark a change in momentum, but the Brazilian champion was too elusive.
The judges’ scores were 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of Aldo, who improved to 22-1. Edgar fell to 15-4-1.
“It was a very difficult fight,” said Aldo. “Frankie is a very dangerous fighter and I had to take it step by step.”
Aldo remains among the UFC’s top handful of pound-for-pound fighters despite a 13-month absence from the cage caused by a series of injuries. His kicks are among the most vicious in MMA, and his overall agility in the cage can be stunning to opponents and fans alike.
Edgar was trying to become the third UFC fighter to win a title in two different weight classes.
“It was a close fight, I keep finding myself in these positions,” he said. “I’m just going to go home and take some time to think about things.”
